POUGHKEEPSIE – Jeff Bower grew up on college basketball, and even with the past 18 years spent working in the pro ranks, he always felt his talents would be well-utilized as a college coach.

Bower will get that opportunity at one of his old stomping grounds as Marist College named him its 10th men’s basketball coach on Wednesday. Bower spent nine seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at Marist under Dave Magarity but he is more widely known as the former general manager, assistant coach and interim head coach of the New Orleans Hornets.

“Marist is a challenging basketball situation,’’ Bower said. “It’s a situation that I look at as having the potential and the capabilities of being the type of program that everybody wants. I know it’s a program that the community cares about and they want to be deeply involved with because I have seen it before. … It think it’s my job, and what I am being charged with, to help grow the team and the program to be something that everyone wants to be associated with again.’’

Bower was an assistant on Marist’s second and last NCAA tournament team, in 1986-87. Despite being slapped with NCAA violations from a previous coaching staff and prohibition from post-season play for four seasons, the Red Foxes posted a 68-45 mark during Bower’s first four seasons, including two ECAC Metro titles in 1987 and 1988.

“I think it’s a terrific hire,’’ said Magarity, the Army women’s coach for the past seven seasons and one of Bower’s closest friends. “I think he brings a level of maturity and experience that, quite frankly, they haven’t had since I left. Jeff brings tremendous experience, both at the collegiate and professional level. He brings a level of maturity and common sense that is really hard to put a value on. They are lucky to have him.’’

Bower replaces Chuck Martin, who was fired last month with a year remaining on his original 6-year deal. Martin’s Marist teams never achieved a winning record, and attendance at the McCann Center Arena has waned. Previous coach Matt Brady took one of his teams to the National Invitation Tournament.

“This is going to take hard work,’’ Bower said. “It’s going to take a resilient mentality and it will take an effort that will be unmatched. And it’s going to take a trust into the unknown. These players are looking and hoping to achieve something that they have never achieved before. It is a journey into the unknown because they haven’t seen it or felt it before. This is a path we will go down together. Hopefully it is one of the most satisfying journeys they have taken.’’

Marist athletics director Tim Murray said he interviewed many qualified candidates over the previous 26 days, and he felt Bower’s previous ties to Marist were important – Bower and Murray were both assistants under Magarity from 1986-89.

“One of the things that was important for me and the college,’’ Murray said, “was to find someone that we felt not only had a great basketball knowledge and coaching experience but also someone who had a management/leadership experience. … He had the right fit, and the fact he had the experience here and an understanding of Marist played very positively in my decision.’’

Former Knicks coach Jeff Nix said Bower is extremely prepared and does not make snap decisions. Nix said, given time to do things his way, Bower will certainly have Marist contending for a Metro Atlantic championship.

“I think he’s going to do a great job,’’ said Nix, who was an assistant at Saint Francis (Pa.) when Bower served as a student assistant. “I think he’s a hell of a coach. He has an unbelievable basketball mind. More importantly, he has a great passion for Marist. I think that’s a home run for Tim (Murray).’’

Bower coached Marist standout Alan Tomidy before moving on to the NBA.

“I loved coach Bower,’’ Tomidy said. “He was a big part of my development, both personally and professionally. He is a terrific person. He has a great character and he is absurdly knowledgeable about the game of basketball. I am really positive and excited about how coach Bower can bring the program back to where it should be. Because of the success the women have had, hopefully the men can do the same thing.’’

Bower will be introduced to the Marist community on Monday.

kmcmillan@th-record.com

Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR

BACKGROUND

Bower was an assistant coach for Marist, along with current athletic director Tim Murray, from 1986-89 on the staff of then head coach Dave Magarity. Murray moved into administration, and Bower remained on Magarity's staff, eventually moving up to associate head coach.

Bower, also a former assistant at Penn State, moved to the NBA. He was general manager of the New Orleans Hornets until July 2010. He served as an assistant coach of the Hornets twice and and interim head coach for 73 games during the 2009-10 season. Recently, he has been working as a consultant with the Dallas Mavericks, and was a finalist for GM jobs in Philadelphia, Portland and Orlando.

WHAT THEY SAID

“Jeff is a brilliant basketball coach who has held every conceivable job in the NBA, which makes him an astute hire for Marist College,” said NBA analyst and former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy. “His background is unique, but I don't think he has ever forgotten his roots at Marist. I think he's going to combine the knowledge he gathered in the NBA with his passion for Marist College, and make them a perennial contender in the MAAC.”